Question

The Battle of Words - reason verses emotions - the stoic Brutus versus the emotional Mark Antony and the Citizens of Rome.

Answer 1

The funeral speeches of Brutus and Antony present a battle between reason and emotion.

Brutus, a Stoic, speaks calmly and logically. He explains that he loved Caesar but killed him because he loved Rome more and believed Caesar’s ambition threatened Roman freedom. The citizens initially accept his reasoning.

Antony, however, understands the emotions of the Roman crowd. He uses irony, repetition, Caesar’s wounds and his will to arouse sympathy, grief and finally anger. His repeated words, ‘Brutus is an honourable man’, gradually become sarcastic.

The citizens quickly change their opinion and turn against the conspirators. Thus, Shakespeare shows that while Brutus appeals to the mind, Antony appeals to the heart, and emotion proves more powerful over the Roman mob.